9 chapters : Development of urbanization| Comparative studies in the present features| The concepts of urban system and the development of urban systems studies| Advancement and problems of central place studies| Studies in elements or urban systems

The A. concludes that urban coalitions are necessarily related to changing wider divisions of labor and modes of regulation. The urban political economy recognizes that processes acting at various scales produce unique forms of urban politics

The paper discusses the relationship between the divergent urbanisation/industrialisation patterns in northern and southern Europe, which results in different forms of urban governance. It considers the distinct urban restructuring and governance

mode in Spain, Greece and Portugal as a causal factor behind the lagging competitiveness of cities in southern Europe. This pattern of heterogeneity is not addressed in the EU urban policies aimed at promoting competitiveness (examples of six cities

The volume contains the result of the research carried out by the Urban Change Unit of Italy's Human Dimensions of the Global Environmental Change Programme. It is an overview of the most important aspects of the most recent urban changes

This paper aims to indicate the history of urban geography in postwar Japan. The author summarized it for 4 stages and indicated the results and the problems of urban geography in postwar Japan. - (KA)

The paper focuses on systematic and overall review of literatures on China's urban geography in recent years. Attention is particularly paid on the progress in new themes and generalization of major arguments.

Beginning with an introduction to the fundamental theories of population urbanization, this paper discusses the basic characteristics of provincial urban population changes in the People's Republic of China since her foundation in 1949, and analyzes

The paper reviews the changing nature of the growing specialized trends of urban geography in India since independence, with a particular emphasis to the 1980s and early 1990. Urban geography has emerged as a major academic sub-field in India

This article examines two factors which are of major importance for urban poverty groups in Botswana: the costs the urban poor have to pay for housing, and the role assets like cattle and land play as safety elements in the urban livelihood system.

The role of planning and planners in shaping urban space has been sharply contested in recent years. While planners are not the driving force determining urban development in South Africa, they play a significant role in shaping urban space. - (AJC)

The paper examines some of the contradictory assertions in the research literature regarding the on-going reorganization of urban systems through a detailed empirical analysis of the changing properties of the Canadian urban system. The analysis

begins with a conceptual framework that recognizes alternative logics and trajectories of change in urban systems. The paper demonstrates the diversity and rapidity of change, and the indeterminant and contradictory nature of many of the relationships

In Le Droit à la Ville (1968), Lefebvre projects the urban trajectory of his day into the sci-fi imaginary of Asimov's remarkable Foundation series. In La Révolution Urbaine (1970), Lefebvre had already begun hinting at a new reality, not only

an urban society, but of planetary urbanization. Today, four decades on, Asimov's extraterrestrial universe seems closer to home than ever, and closer to Lefebvre's own terrestrial prognostications : planetary urbanization is creating a whole new spatial

world (dis)order. The article tries to rethink theoretically the urban question and the question of urban politics in our era of planetary urbanization, working through the political role of the urban in the light of recent ‘Occupy’ mobilizations.

Rapid growth of economy in China pushed the process of urbanization. With urban economic activities making up an increasing share of GDP, productivity of urban economy influences economic growth. Four megalopolises have emerged, and their GDP

exceeds 35% of the country's total. The rapid urbanization also resulted in a series of problems on development and environment.

This paper has its origins in a comparative research project examining aspects of urban sprawl in Europe undertaken within the 5.FP EU. The project Urban Sprawl : European Patterns, Environmental Degradation and Sustainable Development (URBS PANDENS

EVK4-CT- 2001-00052) sought to understand recent trends in urban sprawl in a number of case study urban regions and to advise the European Commission on policy development with regard to the control, management and amélioration of the effects of urban

The planners of the Amsterdam General Extension Plan (1935) developed a doctrine that covers three levels of functions and activities (a regional centre, a monocentric urban form, homogeneous neighbourhood communities around a centre). Since

the early 1970s Amsterdam has become an international centre, has developed into a polycentric urban region and has been acquiring ethnically mixed quarters. So in Amsterdam the planning doctrine was not particularly successful.

For many citizens, urbanism remains a serious problem in China. There is a lack of theoretic study to personal urbanism. The article proposes that the ancient research of urbanism is the research of urbanism of cities. Several research methods

are offered. Some thoughts are proposed about the promotion of personal urbanism.

This paper focuses on the urban fabric, “the hardware” of an urban system. It discusses how to examine the urban fabric in terms of form, age and typical structures, technical and non-technical surface, land use, spatial location, material

composition, and consumption of resources. The article describes some challenges and the key issues of urban analyses. - (IfL)

The mutual relations between the overall economic development and urbanization processes are strong obvious. In the Polish case the three key terms describe these relations at the turn of the centuries : lagging urbanization, economic crisis

Between process and individuation : translating metaphors and narratives of urban space

Daily life ; Theory ; Urban area ; Urban life ; Urban sociology

The A. wants to explore more closely Lefebvre's injunction for a careful examination of the relationship between space, language and politics. He wants to examine the metaphors used by scholars theorizing urban space and everyday urban life

. Conceptual and political problems are associated with the adoption of various metaphors about urban space.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the present aspect and recent structural change of Japanese urban systems. To analyse this point, the A. used the sales and service workers of 1985. He classified municipalities with more than 3,000

Urban development in Tunisia showcase Tunis and the mega-project Lac de Tunis, urban crisis and urban governance in Morocco, reorganization urban planning in Morocco, large scale projects in Marrakech and Rabat (siehe MEYER (F.).Geographische

Based on detailed analysis of the present situation and problems of the structure of urban area of Shanghai, the inner mechanisms that caused the problems are explored and development of Pudong as the strategic breakthrough of the optimization

of the structure of urban area is determined. Various restrictive factors must be considered and corresponding policies and measures must be drawn up.

During the period under review, legislation was the predominant planning instrument. Spatial urban planning appears to have been effective during the colonial period because of the existence of a clear colonial ideology, a small and economically

empowered urban population to plan for, and relatively skilled workers. During the period of political independence, urban planning was marked by contradictions within the value system of the elite, by efforts to implement legislation and by lack

Two main causes are stated to explain the rapid growth of urban areas: the urbanization process and the growing standard of living. The article deals with the problem of what is really meant by urban land and compares how fast urban land is growing

in Norway in relation to other countries. The article also points out the great variations in the use of land for urban purposes, some of which are discussed. (JH).

During the 1980s the weight of Latin Americanist urban research shifted from the theoretical back to the empirical. Publications fit into four broad categories : cities in cris; urban form; reproduction; and production. The problems of living

Restucturing urban space and local communities in Tokyo : on the applicability of the theories of Castells and Harvey

Honshu ; Japan ; Tokyo ; Urban area ; Urban structure ; Urban theory

This paper attempts to review the theoretical framework of the urban restructuring process proposed by M. Castelles and D. Harvey, and to examine the effectiveness of their western theories through field survey of restructuring urban space and local

An urban geography of the world's largest metropolitan area, emphasizing its growth, land use, social inequality and physical planning and architecture. Empowerment of both the municipal government and the inhabitants are seen as crucial in Mexico

Urban and industrial hierarchies can be constructed as synthetic indicators of urbanisation and industrialisation at a particular moment in time. The paper examines the relations between the urban and industrial hierarchies at all levels

The energetic response of urban canyons to variable urban geometry is investigated using the URBAN3 numerical model. Significant inter-urban canyon energy total differences are found which are closely linked to patterns of net solar radiation

. Implications of the study with respect to the magnitude of synoptic vs. geometric sources of urban energetic variation, and microscale and mesoscale urban modelling applications are discussed.

The paper suggests that one possibility for transforming current parochial conceptualisations of modernity and urbanism, might exist in revisiting the dialectical clash which urban anthropology has begun to stage between the west's self-definition

of urban modernity, and the diversity of urbanisms which characterise cities around the world. - (AJC)

Over the past twenty years urban “networking” has become a rule of behaviour in the European Union. This article concerns the development of urban networks within the European urban geography. Urban networks have an important role in disseminating

a development model for urban areas by bringing together a diverse range of cities around common problems in order to create common understandings of how to address these problems—the new ‘conventional wisdom’. These networks have also developed a range

of different methods “to be active” in order to achieve different territorial outcomes. In that sense, which are the outcomes of those cities that have shown a strong “ aptitude in urban networking ” ? - (BJ)

The paper aims to understand the morphological transformation of the urban network of Wrocław caused by the rapid development and urban growth impacts. In an attempt to investigate the reason for morphological transformation of Wrocław urban network

This collection of case studies is in reference to the thesis developed by Graham and Marvin. Taken together, the articles seriously challenge the “splintering urbanism” thesis theoretically, empirically and methodologically. They question

The central aim of this study is to understand the long-term urban trajectories of the Brussels and Amsterdam urban regions in terms of different spatial organizations of property rights. After a consideration of international comparative urban

research, the authors analyse the trajectories of the urban regions of Brussels and Amsterdam systematically during one and a half century. - (AGD)

Retailing, public policy and urban retail planning. Proceedings of the international symposium

Inner city ; Lisbon ; Portugal ; Retail trade ; Urban life

Recently there has been a growing concern about urban environment and the quality of urban way of life. Usually, the revitalisation of urban activities is considered as one of the most important urban activities. The A. argues that retail can play

The paper explains why and in which way urban networks are examined: they are able to improve locational advantages in Germany (poly-central structures), and the instrument for developing spatial and functional networks (inter-urban co-operation

) needs to be examined in practice. This explanation is based on the regional policy objective of extending and developing urban networks. It is exemplary description of current urban interdependences and inter-urban co-operation. - (MT)

Urban land use transformation and determinants of urban land use size in China

China ; Economic reform ; Land ; Land rent ; Land use ; Spatial allocation ; Town ; Urban development

An overview of the problems in urban land use and the impacts of economic reforms and planning policies on rapid urban land expansion and structural transformation is outlined. Statistical analyses reveal determinants of urban land size. This use

has been improved, and the size is related to urban reforms, land use adjustment, as well as to population growth and economic development.

Taken fractal dimension, compact ratio, urban centroid and urban principal axis as the urban spatial characteristic indices, Tianjin city's urban area is investigated in the last 26 years in a quantitative perspective, and its traits and changes

Nature and déterminants of urbanization on a developing economy: the case of India

The development of agricultural sector is the most effective way to check the rate of urbanization. The development of rural non-agricultural sector too, is likely to curb the pressure of urbanization in relatively over urbanized states.

Number of urban and other localities and their population (1981), age composition (population by major age group in urban and rural localities), illiteracy and school attainment (school qualifications), activity (population by activity and rate

It is an empirical investigation of the relation between urban form and commuting behaviour in a polycentric urban region. It explores to what extent urban form and location variables help to explain commuting time, distance and mode based

on an empirical case, East Jutland, which is a polycentric urban region. Empirical findings indicate that urban form and location variables help to explain the three selected aspects of commuting.

be expected to play an important part in shaping urban growth and development outcomes. The AA. propose a property market paradigm of urban change and examine its relevance in the context of six major European urban regions. This approach can provide a more

holistic understanding of contemporary urban change than that offered by conventional analysis.

The results of the 1981 population census show a great increase in the number of urban localities: list of urban localities according to the number of inhabitants at the time of the 1981 census, table of urban localities by size in 1981, table

of the degree of urban concentration in 1981, maps of towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants in 1948 and 1981, analysis of the situation in the Republics and Autonomous Provinces.

In this paper author examines the urban structure and morphology of Helsinki, the capital of Finnland. Beside the historical development of the city recent changes in the demographic and economic conditions are also discussed. - (ZK)

The water transport/ urban development interface is considered against the background of factors involved in urban transport systems in the context of the broad field of transport geography. A typology is introduced to distinguish between land-based

and water-based forms of transport, and between inter-and intra-urban systems.

This paper points to symptoms of unbalanced growth of the urban region of Warsaw in the period of accelerated growth prior to 1975 and the subsequent economic collapse around 1980, illustrated with selected problems of the growth rate of employment

, population and housing. Effects of a policy of controlling urban growth at a time of labor and housing shortages.